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Oklahoma State football: Mike Gundy still coy on QB situation

A year ago, buzz swirled throughout August that J.W. Walsh was making a move to seize the starting quarterback job from Clint Chelf.

And he did.

For a while.

Now it’s Walsh’s job, with Daxx Garman and Mason Rudolph in pursuit.

So, is this year more or less stable?

“I think it’s very similar,” said Cowboys coach Mike Gundy. “J.W.’s obviously worked more with the first group. Last year it was a little bit more even from a reps standpoint.

“The difference this year is they bring something different to the table. Clint and J.W. were very similar in their abilities.”

Walsh has started eight games as a Cowboy, going 6-2 in those games. He’s also directed two more wins in long relief.

He’s the anticipated starter for next week’s opener against Florida State, although that was not confirmed and no depth chart was released when Gundy and players talked to reporters in the official pregame press conference on Thursday.

Gundy does allow that Walsh has improved from a year ago.

“I think he’s played eight or nine games in his career, so he hasn’t even played one season,” Gundy said. “But he’s better now through all the reps he’s had in practice.”

Asked if owning the job — without looking over his shoulder — might benefit the starter, Gundy said, “I think it depends on the player. Some athletes worry about (the backup), some of them thrive on the competition.”

Cowboys defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer is more interested in maintaining strong play throughout the game.

“It's important,” Spencer said of starting strong. “It's a ballgame, though, so nobody here knows what’s going to happen. Nobody can even think about what’s going to happen, so we’ll deal with that moment when it comes.

“We can come out and play great at first, but there will still be a lot of ballgame left. If they come out and bust a couple of big plays on us, will we shell up for the rest of the game? No.

“That 60th play and that 70th play have got to be played just like the first and the second.”

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